Origins of Chamber Music Neil Thompson Shade Acoustical Design - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Origins of Chamber Music Neil Thompson Shade Acoustical Design Collaborative, Ltd Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Ancient Period – Before 500 A.D. Music – derived from goddess Muse – and had divine origins for Greeks divine origins for Greeks –Music actively performed in Greek culture –Public concerts common between 6th & 4th centuries B.C. Greeks developed formalized music theory Greeks developed formalized music theory –Modes (precursor to scales) –Musical intervals based on frequency ratios Musical intervals based on frequency ratios –Concepts of harmony

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Greek Cults Related to Music Apollo Apollo – Apollonian music – lyre (stringed instrument); accompaniment to singing accompaniment to singing Dionysus – Dionysian music – aulos (read instrument); Dionysian music aulos (read instrument); accompaniment to choruses in great dramas

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Lyre Lyre Aulos

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 P Performance Spaces f S Music performed indoors & outdoors Music performed indoors & outdoors • Amphitheaters • Residences of wealthy and politicians Residences of wealthy and politicians • Legislative chambers (bouleuteria) – Seated less than 1250 Seated less than 1250 – Column-free spaces – Upper walls had openings for daylight and ventilation pp p g y g – Steeply raked seating – High ceilings

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Bouleuterium at Termessus • 22 m by 22 m by 12 m high • 850 seating capacity 850 ti it • 10 m sightline distance • Stone walls and timber ceiling • Occupied T60 – 3 7 s Occupied T60 3.7 s Lyre and Voice

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Bouleuterium at Termessus Bouleuterium at Termessus

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Early Christian Period – 100 to 900 M Music rejected as leisure entertainment i j d l i i – Instrumental music considered pagan Singing became accepted form of musical expression – Liturgical purposes only Lit i l l No written tradition – music passed down orally p y – 9th century shaped note writing in use Not known if music a part of secular functions Not known if music a part of secular functions

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Late Medieval Period – 900 to 1400 Period of minstrels and troubadours Period of minstrels and troubadours Minstrels – societal outcasts played to village commoners – Little known of their music since not written down Troubadours (France) and Meistersingers (Germany) – Poet-composers played to landowners and royalty • Over 4000 poems and 1400 melodies were written down • Pastourelle – dramatic ballad and estampie – dance tune Pastourelle dramatic ballad and estampie dance tune

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Musical Instruments Wide variety of instruments Wide variety of instruments • Lyre – evolved into harp • Vielle – evolved into viol and violin Vi ll l d i t i l d i li • Psaltery – evolved into clavichord • Lute, flute, horn, bagpipe, percussion

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Medieval Musicians Medieval Musicians

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Instrumental Ensembles Organized by loudness not pitch and contrasting tone quality Organized by loudness, not pitch, and contrasting tone quality • Haut – loud instruments • Bas – quiet instruments Bas quiet instruments Viol, lute, drum, horn, and psaltery common grouping , , , , p y g p g

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Performance Spaces Secular music performed in variety of spaces • Taverns • Guildhalls • Landowner & royal residences • Landowner & royal residences • Outdoor fairs and village greens No extant record of acoustic conditions in these spaces Medieval Tune

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Renaissance Period – 1400 to 1600 Music more important as art form • Increase in public and private performances • Musicians became professional class • Rise of wealthy amateur players • Patron – composer relationship Patron composer relationship Printing press – major impact on music • “How-to” books for teaching music “H t ” b k f t hi i • Part books for musicians • Eliminated hand manuscripts – music more available p

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Ensemble Types Two common ensembles Two common ensembles • Sonata da camera (chamber sonata) • Sonata da chiesa (church sonata) ( ) Ensembles used up to 5 musicians • Ideal was homogenous sound for ensemble • Musical consort developed – Included all instruments in the instrument family from I l d d ll i t t i th i t t f il f bass to soprano – Most popular were recorder and viol consorts p p

Consort of Viols Consort of Viols Soprano to Bass (left to right)

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Advances in Instruments Keyboards y • Clavichord (1300) – Originally for organ practice; used later as solo and accompaniment instrument • Origins of harpsichord (1440) – Replaced clavichord as accompaniment instrument due to greater acoustic power Woodwind and brass instruments • Shawm – evolved into oboe and clarinet • Recorder – evolved into flute • Sackbutt – evolved into trombone • Valveless horn – evolved into trumpet and French horn Valveless horn evolved into trumpet and French horn

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Clavichord Clavichord Harpsichord

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Performance Spaces Secular music played in variety of places • Patron’s villas • Dedicated salons for music performance • Large rooms with stone and tile finishes; tapestries common common Occupied T60 exceeded 2 s Occupied T60 exceeded 2 s

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Medici Music Room Medici House

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Representative Composers • William Byrd • William Byrd • John Dowland • Michael Praetorius • Henry Purcell y Purcell The Queen's Dolour

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Baroque Period – 1600 to 1730 B Baroque music had origins in Italy – style very ornate i h d i i i I l l • Patronage system defined musical style Impro ed m sical skill res lted in more comple compositions Improved musical skill resulted in more complex compositions Two new instruments • Violin – became prominent solo instrument Violin became prominent solo instrument • Pianoforte – became primary composing and accompaniment instrument Violin development (1530 – 1744) • Cremona and Brescia home of master makers • Gasparo da Salò • Amati • Guarneri Guarneri • Stradivari

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Stradivarius in His Workshop

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Piano Development Pianoforte (1700) • Piano (soft) Forte (loud) Pi ( ft) F t (l d) • Developed by Bartolomeo Christofori • Replaced clavichord as main keyboard instrument • Replaced clavichord as main keyboard instrument – Greater acoustic power – Wider tonal compass p

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Cristofori’s Pianoforte

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Performance Formats • Dance suite • Concerto grosso Concerto grosso • Fugue • Trio sonata T i t – 3 or 4 movements – Basso continuo (lower pitched instrument) – Melodic instruments (higher pitched instruments)

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Performance Spaces Courtly palaces • Small instrumental room • Small instrumental room • Larger instrumental room • Opera performance room

Small Performance Space Small Performance Space Handel’s Music Room

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Representative Composers • Johann Sebastian Bach • Archangelo Corelli Archangelo Corelli • George Frederick Handel Bach Trio Sonata Bach Trio Sonata Corelli Sonata Handel Oboe Sonata

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Classical Period – 1730 to 1820 Referred to as First Viennese School Music not as ornate as Baroque period q p • Style involved repeated (call and response) phrases by different instruments Patronage system less important for many composers P t t l i t t f Some composers directly employed by wealthy • • Haydn Haydn – Count Nikolaus Esterházy Count Nikolaus Esterházy • Mozart – Frederick William II • Beethoven – Count Andry Razumovsky and Price Joseph Lobkowicz

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Composers Composers became more self-reliant for livelihood • Sold music to publishers • Promoted their own concerts P t d th i t • Paid for musician’s rehearsal time – As a result music became simpler As a result music became simpler Joseph Haydn • “Father” of string quartet “ ” f • Created four movement format • Wrote 83 string quartets • Wrote 83 string quartets

Concert Hall Research Group Summer 2010 Composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart • Expanded on compositional format of E d d iti l f t f Haydn • Wrote for larger ensembles • Included woodwinds notably clarinet y